An integrative overview of cold response and regulatory pathways in horticultural crops

Global climate change challenges agricultural production, as extreme temperature fluctuations negatively affect crop growth and yield. Low temperature (LT) stress impedes photosynthesis, disrupts metabolic processes, and compromises the integrity of cell membranes, ultimately resulting in diminished yield and quality. Notably, many tropical or subtropical horticultural plants are particularly susceptible to LT stress. To address these challenges, it is imperative to understand the mechanisms underlying cold tolerance in horticultural crops. This review summarizes recent advances in the physiological and molecular mechanisms that enable horticultural crops to withstand LT stress, emphasizing discrepancies between horticultural crops and model systems. These mechanisms include C-repeat binding factor-dependent transcriptional regulation, post-translational modifications, epigenetic control, and metabolic regulation. Reactive oxygen species, plant hormones, and light signaling pathways are integrated into the cold response network. Furthermore, technical advances for improving cold tolerance are highlighted, including genetic improvement, the application of light-emitting diodes, the utility of novel plant growth regulators, and grafting. Finally, prospective directions for fundamental research and practical applications to boost cold tolerance are discussed.